1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to conveyor systems, and in particular, to a rail guide assembly for gripping and supporting a guide rail.
2. Description of the Related Art
Guide rails are commonly used in conveyor systems to guide objects down a predetermined path and prevent the objects from moving laterally off a track or belt of the system. Rail guide support assemblies often comprise clamps supported by rods to position and support the guide rails. Some clamps are of one-piece manufacture, while other clamps may have three pieces. Clamps often include a long support rod which can present a safety hazard to individuals in proximity to the belt or track of the conveyor system.
One type of existing clamp comprises a clamp made of flexible material. The flexible material allows a user to cut the support rod portion of the clamp to shorten the length of the rod. Due to the flexibility of the material, however, a guide rail may not be securely held by the clamp, thereby allowing the rail to undesirably pivot within the grip of the clamp.
Another type of clamp system consists of separate top and bottom clamp halves and a rod. This three-piece system is awkward to handle upon insertion and removal of the rail because one half of the clamp must be held in place against the rod and aligned with the second half before the two clamp halves can be screwed into place. Also, the rod and clamp halves must be held secure during the entire assembly process.
However, both of the aforementioned types of clamps involve a rather imprecise and awkward procedure of inserting and positioning of the support rod in a mounting bracket of the conveyor system. That is, the rod is not easily manipulated by an installer to be secured in the mounting bracket.